Record Store Day a commercial hit

Aaron Smith checks out free music during Record Store Day at Rasputin Music in Fairfield, Saturday. Customers took advantage of free music, posters and other discounted items. (Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic)

FAIRFIELD — A stack of vinyls were nearly wiped off the shelf as Record Store Day wound down at Rasputin on Saturday.

Manager Dan Hegarty flipped through the remaining records that were exclusively released during the annual promotion.

The new Pixies, an Aerosmith re-release, a picture disc of Katy Perry – “Public Enemy with a funny cover,” Hegarty said. All were leftovers after the morning crowd scrambled for a rare find.

“There were 25 to 30 people waiting for us to open,” Hegarty said.

Observed on the third Saturday of April, Record Store Day aims to celebrate the unique culture of a record store, according to Recordstoreday.com. A group of independent record store owners and employees conceived the idea seven years ago. Metallica kicked off the first Record Store Day on April, 19, 2007, at Rasputin in San Francisco.

“(It’s basically) an effort by the record industry to gen up interest,” Hegarty said. “. . . To keep interest alive in brick-and-mortar stores.”

After the morning rush, things were chill at the record store that moved to the Solano Town Center nearly 1½ years ago. But a few fans still made their way to the racks.

Fairfield resident Daniel Thompson picked up De La Soul’s “3 Feet High and Rising” on vinyl. The hip-hop fan doesn’t own CDs.

“I grew up during the late ’70s listening to vinyl,” he said. “My father had it, and so he influenced me.”

Thompson also enjoys the sound of a record – “the cracking, popping,” he said.

“Also, with vinyl you have to take your time, pulling out the sleeve and listening to it rather than saying, ‘Hey, iPod,’ ” he said. “Also, the liner notes are really cool, you get the history.”

Thompson, who also digs classic R&B and jazz, has about 450 records at home.

Reach Adrienne Harris at 427-6956 or [email protected] Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/aharrisdr.

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Adrienne Harris

Adrienne joined the Daily Republic in September 2009. She earned her journalism degree at the University of Florida in 2005 and has worked at newspapers in Fort Pierce, Fla.; Las Cruces, N.M.; and El Paso, Texas.

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Rich GiddensApril 20, 2014 - 2:05 pm

I used to collect high end vinyl records---Japanese and half speed remastered pressings. I gave them away with the advent of digital. Initially, CD masters were deemed harsh and unnatural sounding but with new wide bit and digital sound processing in the mastering and playback, its not neccesary to go back to vinyl. Diamond styleses abrade the vinyl.